The present invention relates to a welding tip supplying apparatus for a welder, wherein a welding tip of a welding robot used at a vehicle body manufacturing factory, etc. can be automatically replaced or supplied.
A spot welding method which uses an automatic robot welder, is mainly used at a manufacturing line, for example, a vehicle manufacturing line which is able to manufacture a predetermined product through a mass production method. This spot welding method has a good work efficiency since a heating time is short. Since the spot welding method has a narrow heating range, a residual stress or a deformation occurs less, which may provide a high stability to a welded portion.
A welding gun used for a spot welding method is mounted on a robot, and a shank is installed with the front ends thereof being disposed opposing to each other, and a welding tip at which a welding is actually carried out, is installed at an end portion of the shank. If such a welding tip is repeatedly used, a deformation may occur, for which it needs to periodically replace the welding tip. When this welding tip is exchanged, a replacing work time should be shortened, and a welding tip replacing work should be stably carried out; however such conditions are not actually satisfied, thus causing a problem.
If a welding tip is not provided at a conventional welding tip supplying apparatus, a welding robot cannot recognize the absence of the welding tip, which may make an error when replacing a welding tip, whereby a work efficiency may be degraded.
In the conventional welding tip supplying apparatus for a welder, a predetermined number of welding tips are inserted in an accommodation case, and the welding tips are supplied to the side of the welding gun, and the accommodation case is replaced before all the welding tips accommodated in the accommodation case are all used. In this conventional welding tip supplying to apparatus for a welder, it needs to periodically replace the accommodation case in which the welding tips are accommodated, thus causing inconvenience, and if the accommodation case in which the welding tips are accommodated, are not replaced in time, all the manufacturing lines of the automated factory may be affected.